just a couple of comments .. Louis mentioned that he doesn't put air in his bc a the surface.. that is generally true for most who are after big fish.. air in the bc is not an advantage when you have a large not quite dead fish under a rig. You have to be able to go up and down without worrying about increasing or decreasing your buoyancy. Most of the time you are not dictating which way you are going..so neutral or negative are advantages.. as far as the accident no one will ever truly know but the more likely culprit would be AGE.. gas embolism.. come-on fast at or near the surface and is fatal.. can occur with as little as three feet change of depth near surface.. gator

Thanks for this thread Rok. I just got back from my first spear trip and this thread definitely helped me be more prepared.

I wasn't up to any craziness, just a couple of rigs in 86' of water. A bad murk layer and thermocline at ~75' I shot a nice cobia on my first drop and I was instantly hooked. Two were swimming around me taunting while I was trying to get my gun cocked. I followed them for a minute and then they turned back and crossed me nice and slow for an easy shot, stone dead with one band.

(It had those two little gashes on the side before I shot it. Tangled with a shark or porpoise I guess?)

Txkingfisher way to start. Your next experience should be a cobia you hurt bad .. The experience of their power even small ones will get your immediate attention.. Keep slinging steel and being careful good luck.

Thanks for this thread Rok. I just got back from my first spear trip and this thread definitely helped me be more prepared.

I wasn't up to any craziness, just a couple of rigs in 86' of water. A bad murk layer and thermocline at ~75' I shot a nice cobia on my first drop and I was instantly hooked. Two were swimming around me taunting while I was trying to get my gun cocked. I followed them for a minute and then they turned back and crossed me nice and slow for an easy shot, stone dead with one band.

(It had those two little gashes on the side before I shot it. Tangled with a shark or porpoise I guess?)

You're welcome.

When shooting those Cobias, don't let yourself get into any of that hand to hand combat shit. Just hold them by the end of your rope or speargun (if you don't use a riding rig) and swim to the boat. Usually all boats have an eye in the rear, and I just clip em off. After a while, it's like you're letting the Cobias think it's their idea to go to the boat, and you are just there for their assistance.

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Rok out

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When shooting those Cobias, don't let yourself get into any of that hand to hand combat shit. Just hold them by the end of your rope or speargun (if you don't use a riding rig) and swim to the boat. Usually all boats have an eye in the rear, and I just clip em off. After a while, it's like you're letting the Cobias think it's their idea to go to the boat, and you are just there for their assistance.

Good wisdom Rok!

In my experience, speared Cobia often seem to have a burst of tremendous fighting energy that flares up that is best avoided as you suggest.

Wow - this is an amazing and informative (and frightening/sobering) thread. Thank you to everyone for sharing. Learned a lot that could save my life.

As a "new" spearo, I try to learn from each dive. Gear, rigging, streamlining, safety, tactics, etc. Always something to learn if you allow yourself to. I'm also trying to retain my "sense of wonder" with each dive, regardless of what I bring up. I'm not competitive, so that helps

My first few experiences with AJs convinced me they are initiates of the 3rd Circle of Hell, trying to prove to Satan that they are worthy of passing on to the next level. My first one almost wrapped me and another diver up in our lines (he had shot one near me just as I shot mine) - both ended up getting away. It would be another 6 months before I finally got one and brought it to the boat. Have yet to try a cobia - don't know how eager I am to try that one.

All of this in 40-70 feet of water, away from wrecks or structure. I can't imagine doing what you Hell Divers do!

Thank you Mr. Roc, this is one of the best threads I have ever read. It reads like an action/drama/comedy/documentary. Very informative. I just completed my first spearfishing trip a week ago. We dove on a rig about 2 miles south of Dauphin Island, AL. in 50' of water. I shot 3 spadefish and couldve shot more but reloading took alot longer than I thought it would. Unfortunately, boat trouble cut our trip short. I look forward to reading the rest of the posts. Thanks for the knowledge.

Triple B (I love your name btw - LOL) sounds like you had a pretty good intro into spear fishing. Did you eat the spadefish? I've yet to figure out a way to enjoy eating them - most people I know don't, but man are there TONS of them around here where I dive - maybe some day I'll find a way to prepare them. Any tips for me?

I love fishing but dont actually eat alot of fish. Mostly just give it away. My health-freak wife seasons and bakes it, but my mom deep fries it. Either way, its pretty good. Predive, I had it in my head I was only gonna shoot spades and sheephead for low risk target practice.

Thank you Mr. Roc, this is one of the best threads I have ever read. It reads like an action/drama/comedy/documentary. Very informative. I just completed my first spearfishing trip a week ago. We dove on a rig about 2 miles south of Dauphin Island, AL. in 50' of water. I shot 3 spadefish and couldve shot more but reloading took alot longer than I thought it would. Unfortunately, boat trouble cut our trip short. I look forward to reading the rest of the posts. Thanks for the knowledge.

Did you eat the spadefish? I've yet to figure out a way to enjoy eating them - most people I know don't, but man are there TONS of them around here where I dive - maybe some day I'll find a way to prepare them. Any tips for me?

On the halfshell on the grill sprinkled with "Slap Ya Mama" and a few pats of butter or margerine to keep it moist.

Me and the wife love them. I usually use the last 500lbs in my tank to play around with the spadefish near the surface and pick out one or two Boone & Crockett Trophy Spades for the dinner table. Hell, when I go for mangrove snapper and cobia and other "quality fish" the wife always requests that I bring her a sheephead or spade.

Thank you Mr. Roc, this is one of the best threads I have ever read. It reads like an action/drama/comedy/documentary. Very informative. I just completed my first spearfishing trip a week ago. We dove on a rig about 2 miles south of Dauphin Island, AL. in 50' of water. I shot 3 spadefish and couldve shot more but reloading took alot longer than I thought it would. Unfortunately, boat trouble cut our trip short. I look forward to reading the rest of the posts. Thanks for the knowledge.

Thats a BIG spadefish!

Welcome to spearfishing, its very addictive. You got a good gun. I have one like that also. Shot a big Wahoo with it this year.